Bat "Mitzvahpalooza"

Exclusive photos of Mitzvahpalooza are online here. This is the bat mitzvah spectacular put on by Long Island defense contractor David H. Brooks for his daughter's entry into Jewish responsibility. Here's a link to the original NY Daily News article. At the simcha, performances were by everyone from 50 Cent to Don Henley to Stevie Nicks to Aerosmith. As Blogger Tabloid Baby pointed out, "Brooks got better talent than the NBC Katrina relief benefit."

While 50 Cent didn't play at my Bar Mitzvah (October 1989 for those wondering), The People's Choice band did and they were, well exactly what you'd expect from a Bar Mitzvah band in the late 80s. The truth is that Sam Thomas was an amazing DJ who traveled with The People's Choice to play Run DMC and Beastie Boys music while the adults ate and the kids danced.

And if you want to learn more about the Bar and Bat Mitzvah culture of the 70s and 80s, I recommend the new book Bar Mitzvah Disco. You can check out their very funny promotional video here.